JUDE: Book 2 The Justice Brothers Series (6 page)

“Specs, that leaves you. I have the unpleasant task of needing to interview the Parker offspring. Jake, Jared, and I agree that we need to make the interviews as professional as possible, move away from our shared history to concentrate on the murders. We agreed that as the lead detective on the case I should meet with them myself and not include my brothers. I want you to join me. Your recent arrival in Duluth makes it possible for you to see things with fresh eyes, things we might overlook. Given that we grew up with the Parker siblings and knew their parents as well, you can provide some much needed distance.”

Skylar managed not to show her surprise. It was the first time that Jude had indicated that he saw her as anything but a nuisance thrust on him by his solicitous brothers.

Jude quickly crushed the brief respite she felt when he added, “Besides, I believe we all agreed that we cops can’t find our assholes without a flashlight. As it appears that you’re the one with the Mensa IQ, your big brain will be a lot more powerful than the one lodged in my small head.”

With that lewd reference to his dick, Jude shoved back his chair and rose to his feet.

“I expect ongoing reports from all of you throughout the day. Leave them on my voicemail if Specs and I are with one of the Parker siblings. I’ll check in with you between interviews.”

With that, Jude threw down his folder and leaned forward, his hands resting on the table. Meeting each of their gazes, his eyes were piercing; his voice was soft, riddled with danger.

“I don’t have to tell you how important it is that we solve this crime. There are at least a couple, if not more, vicious sons of bitches out there who don’t deserve to see the outside of a solitary cell for the rest of their sorry lives. It’s up to all of us to ensure that they don’t. Those animals need to go down hard, harder than they ever imagined they would. They need to live knowing that the inhumanity of their vicious attacks was revealed to the world. And that those attacks will serve as their routing slips to determine which level of hell they’ll inhabit for the rest of eternity.”

Chapter 6

When they got to the parking lot in back of the precinct Jude pointed to the black and silver Porsche parked against the wall, the space beside it labeled
No Parking.
He laughed at the surprise Skylar couldn’t hide.

Grinning in the direction of the impressive vehicle, he said, “My acknowledgment to conspicuous consumption, and my one indulgence. For the most part, I pretend to live on my cop’s salary, but there are some toys that we spoiled boys can’t do without.”

Motioning for her to follow him, he said, “We’ll drive in my car. No telling what you drive. Christ, it’s probably a fucking Prius.”

Skylar didn’t want to disabuse Jude of his contemptuous impression by telling him that she drove a Ferrari 485 Spider that cost many times more than his phallic symbol. The fact that she took the bus to work and left her pride and joy securely parked in her locked garage confirmed that she cared every bit as much about her “toys” as he did his.

They were silent as Jude skillfully negotiated the winding hilly streets. Since she had first arrived in Northern Minnesota, Skylar had fallen in love with Duluth. The beautiful city was situated at the westernmost point of the Great Lakes on the north shore of Lake Superior, and was rich with cultural attractions and historic buildings—not to mention rocky cliffs, pristine forests, and the largest freshwater lake in the world. The historic mansions gracing the hilltops were just one sign of an elegant and prosperous past.

In minutes, Jude pulled onto the cobblestone driveway of the Queen Anne mansion known to all as the Justice Mansion. Skylar had attended several parties at the imposing structure with the gorgeously maintained gardens, expansive lawns, and breathtaking views of Lake Superior. The mansion was built at the turn of the last century and was a museum in its own right.

Jude flicked a button on the dash and guided his sleek automobile inside, choosing one of the six bays in the sparkling clean garage. He turned off the engine, opened his door, and started to unwind his tall body from the low-slung seat.

Before Jude could get out of the car, realizing that she couldn’t partner with him until she knew the answer, Skylar surprised herself as much as she did him with her question. “Why do you let them put out doughnuts if it offends you when people eat them? Or does it only…only offend you when
I
eat them?”

Sky wished her voice hadn’t quavered dangerously when she spoke, but at least she asked the question that had been tormenting her since yesterday morning.

Jude hesitated for a long moment with his back to her and one leg out of the Porsche. Finally, with an audible sigh, he got back in the car, closed the door, and hit the seat release, sending the driver’s seat back twelve inches. He turned to her and shook his head.

For a moment, Sky was sure that he was going to throw her off the investigation, his expression was so serious. She was surprised when Jude leaned back against the headrest and closed his eyes.

He finally lifted one lid, then gave a hard sigh and met her gaze. “Listen kid, I don’t know what got into me yesterday or today, why I went after you the way that I did. Just know that you can eat any goddamn thing you want any time you want, no matter if it’s good for you or not. What the fuck do I know about what your body needs or wants?”

He huffed another hard sigh then continued. His voice was firmer, more abrasive, the way it usually was. “Don’t listen to me, Skylar. Listen to my brothers. They’ll tell you who and what I am. Hell, so will any of the officers on my team. I’m an asshole, pure and simple. I’m arrogant, a true hardass, and I revel in the fact that, except for my brothers, hardened cops quake in their boots when I give an order.”

He threw her a narrow gaze then shrugged. “I’m also an avowed chauvinist. I believe to the length of my prodigious dick that at their core, women are good for one thing and one thing only. Just know, Specs, you may be the most damnably disquieting, least appealing woman I’ve ever met. But in this case, the fact that you look and act the way that you do is a good thing.”

Skylar assumed his chuckle was meant to lighten his disparaging and shockingly blunt assessment of her. When he continued, it was clear he meant exactly what he’d implied. “That said, given that the possibility of sex between us isn’t an option, I can start treating you with the respect you deserve, as a colleague, not a potential fuck. If you’re half as smart as everyone says you are, it’ll be the best decision I’ve ever made.”

Skylar let his words sink in, surprised that they hurt. With an effort, she dragged out her analytical skills and agreed that everything he had said made it possible for them to work together, to be genuine colleagues. Which, she reminded herself, was what she wanted, correct?

As she prepared to get out of the car, she was surprised that she couldn’t let her original query go unanswered. She sighed audibly, then forced herself to look over at him. “You didn’t answer my question. I still don’t understand why you put out doughnuts if we aren’t supposed to eat them. Or is it just me who isn’t supposed to eat them?”

If she didn’t know better, Sky might have thought that the flash of emotion that darkened his eyes was pain, or even embarrassment. He was quiet for a moment. When he finally answered her, his voice was serious, without a hint of deprecatory humor. “I think because I know that they’re not good for you, and being the overbearing asshole that I am, I make it my business to tell people I care about what they should and should not do.”

Skylar thought about what he’d said for a long moment then nodded in agreement.

“Humph, well. That’s what my father says when he tells me what I should and shouldn’t eat.”

She let a small smile cross her lips then added, “I will say to you what I said to him. It’s a good thing you understand that it isn’t any of your business…and I’ll eat anything I damn well please.”

With that, she unsnapped her seat belt and got out of the car. She closed her door firmly and was at the entrance to the house before Jude managed to get out of the car and come up behind her.

Later that night, Jude relived their conversation for the ninth or tenth time. He still couldn’t decide which had surprised him more, that she’d essentially told him to go to hell—with a smile, no less—or his staggering assertion that he cared about her.

***

“Why, if isn’t Ms. Hughes. Please, Skylar, come in. I understood from Jared that you’re helping Jude with this incredible tragedy that we’re dealing with.”

Judge Justice reached for Sky’s hand and then put his arm around her slim shoulders, pulling her into an embrace. Glancing at Jude, he said over Skylar’s head, “That is a smart thing to do, Jude. I presume you know how lucky you are to have Ms. Hughes’s help.”

Jude wasn’t aware that his grandfather knew Skylar, but apparently like the rest of the Justice men, she impressed him.

Still smarting from their challenging discussion in the garage, Jude managed a non-committal response. “So I understand, Judge. However, I didn’t know that you were also a champion of
Ms. Hughes
.”

Jude saw the slight flush on the squirt’s cheeks at his emphasis on her proper name. But even he understood that his chivalrous grandfather would object to one of the derisive appellations he’d been tossing her way. Which made his grandfather’s next words a bombshell.

Still holding Sky’s arm, the Judge frowned at him. “Hmm, I thought you knew that Morton Hughes and I were classmates at Yale.”

Seeing Sky’s flush deepen, Jude decided to press his advantage. Clearly, there was a lot he had to learn about the spiky-haired pixie that Jared had neglected to mention.

“No, Judge, I wasn’t aware that you knew Skylar’s father.”

The Judge raised his hands in protest. “Please, I would never presume to
know
Morton Hughes, who is one of this country’s, and the world’s, foremost mathematicians. However, we did both attend Yale.” He turned to Skylar with a smile. “I didn’t know your father in college, Skylar. He inhabited a much more rarified realm than I did, frankly more than any of our classmates did. But when he learned that you were thinking about abandoning his dominion to disappear into the outback,
as he referred to our humble domain, he looked me up and apparently decided that I was worthy of a call.”

The Judge laughed. “When he learned that the most I could do was assure him that I would watch out for you, he conceded that you were intractable. Apparently, my dear, you are as oblivious to the perils that might come your way as my grandsons are. His final admonition to me was that the least I could do for a fellow Yale alumnus was to see that you eat properly.”

Jude shoved at the chuckle rising in his throat and said carefully, “Given that I’m only coming to know this interesting young woman, I can attest to the fact that her illustrious father’s concerns about her eating habits are well-founded.” He added, “Thanks for that information, Judge. I wasn’t fully aware of Ms. Hughes’s pedigree. I can see now why my brothers are so protective of this young woman.”

The Judge frowned and looked as if he would say more, then released Skylar’s arm, acknowledging the knock on the door. “Excuse me, please. I was expecting a call. I asked Gregory to let me know.” He walked to the door and said over his shoulder, “I’ll be right back. This will just take a moment.”

After his grandfather left, Jude sidled up next to Skylar. He didn’t try to hide his grin. Winking at her, he said, “Have to say, Squirt, hearing what the Judge had to say about your father puts our latest conversation in context. Maybe I’m not as overbearing an asshole as I thought I was.”

Skylar shrugged dismissively. “Or perhaps you and my father have both earned that designation.”

Jude gave her a thumbs-up and said with a wink, “Touché, Specs.”

His grandfather’s harrumphing cough from the doorway confirmed that the Judge had heard Jude’s offensive nickname for the young woman, who was staring at a spot on the floor, the rigid set of her slim shoulders confirming her discomfort. Jude had the decency to be embarrassed, but knew there was too much going on between himself and the squirt to explain his rudeness to the Judge. He sighed. Fuck it all, he couldn’t explain it to
himself
. Instead he took control of the conversation and turned to the significant challenges ahead.

Speaking directly to the Judge, he said, “I wish this visit was for any reason other than why Skylar and I are here. I appreciate how hard this has been for you, Judge. I also appreciate your astute suggestion that Blake and his sisters come here. Not only does it ensure that they are receiving the medical and personal attention they need, but it makes it easier for Skylar and me to interview them. I hated to drag them to the precinct or impose on them at their homes.”

The Judge’s expression darkened perceptibly. He turned away from Jude, but not before Jude saw the tears welling up in his grandfather’s eyes.

He stepped forward and put his arm around the older man’s shoulder and pulled his grandfather next to him. “Damn, Judge, I hate like hell that you have to face this hideous situation. I hope having the Parker siblings here hasn’t made it harder. Goddamn, I wish I’d thought—”

The Judge shook his head fiercely. “No, no, Jude. Don’t do that. Don’t misunderstand. Yes, this is harder than I could imagine any situation to be. The fact that the Parkers were my friends, and that they were murdered, murdered in such a hideous way is beyond my ability to comprehend. And yes, the fact that they were your parent’s friends only makes my pain sharper, more difficult to bear.”

The Judge swiped at his eyes and then grasped Jude’s hands. “Please know, son, that the only way that I am able to live with this dreadful situation is knowing that you and your brothers, particularly you, with the help of this young woman, are going to find the monsters who committed this horrendous crime. And when you do, Jude, I pity them.”

Jude clasped his grandfather close to him and spoke softly. “I promise you, Judge. The evil men who did this will pay with their lives. They truly are dead men walking.”